Flower Girls - Irresistible: Tips and Tricks
Because of the way the mod works, there are a few quirks that are good to know and can be played with. But I also want to offer a few details so users better know how to work with the mod.
Creating and Maintaining Lovers
The Irresistible spell is a simple aim, fire, and forget spell. Aim at your potential lover with the spell enabled and just cast the spell. The spell fires an illusion projectile, and if you hit the person you were aiming at, you should have a new lover who is ready to fulfill your every heart's desire. Now, this is where it gets interesting, because what kind of lover did you create?
If the NPC is unique, i.e. has an individual name from the get-go and wasn't created from a leveled or generic template, you won't be able to rename the NPC. You can check this in the MCM on the Lovers page. If your new lover is in the Protected Lovers column (the one on the left), then you createdeithera unique or a leveled/generic lover. If your new lover is in the Deleveled Lovers column (the one on the right), you have a lover who was originally leveled or generic and therefore created from a generic template. But your new lover is now permanent and can have a name (and also be renamed).
Every lover in one of the two columns in the MCM is protected, meaning nobody but you can kill them. This can become an issue if the NPC was scripted to die, because now they won't. Fortunately, you can remove them from the MCM, and therefore from protection, but they will remain your lover. Meaning if they die, you can resurrect them. If you removed your lover, you can use the Irresistible spell on them again to re-add them to the MCM.
Adding and Removing Lovers from the MCM
Each Lovers column in the MCM can currently (v 3.0) contain up to 20 entries. All lovers in the two lists are protected (i.e. can only be killed by the player). And all lovers can be removed from the list at any time (by clicking on the Options field of a column entry and choosing the Remove option), meaning their protected status is also removed, and they can be killed by anyone. If you create a new lover (or whammy an existing lover who is no longer in the MCM) by using the Irresistible spell on them, the lover will be added in the first available slot in the appropriate column (right column for deleveled lovers, left for leveled and unique lovers).
If all slots are occupied, the MCM overwrites the existing entries, starting from the top. When a column in the MCM becomes full, the system displays a couple of appropriate warnings to let you know which lover would be overwritten if you add another one. If you add another lover and an existing lover is actually overwritten, the system also displays a few messages, letting you know which lover was replaced. If the messages become too annoying, you can disable them on the MCM Settings page.
Unique NPCs
Unique NPCs are the ones who already have a unique name when you first meet them. Well, they're usually unique NPCs, but see below under Deleveled/Generic NPCs for exceptions. As mentioned above, if your new lover is unique, i.e. had a specific name from the get-go and was specified to be unique in the Creation Kit, you won't be able to rename them. But that's pretty much the only restriction. If your unique lover dies, you can resurrect them. Or you can summon them to your location or teleport to them.
Leveled NPCs
Many of the NPCs you meet in Skyrim are leveled NPCs. Most guards, soldiers, bandits, necromancers, and vampires (among others) fall in this category. When an NPC has a name such as Bandit Marauder, Nightstalker Vampire, Imperial Soldier, etc., it usually means they're leveled NPCs. If an NPC was generated from a leveled list, they aren't considered permanent. This means they can change on you at any time without warning. Because the system messes with them in the background, the results can be unpredictable. For instance, a pretty lady bandit suddenly becomes a strapping young man. It also means the lover dialogue option will disappear. You can still kiss them, but that's it. I've heard after a while, even that option might disappear. Because such NPCs are generic, you can't give them a unique name.
Deleveled/Generic NPCs
NPCs who were created from a generic template are considered deleveled by the Irresistible mod. Such NPCs are permanent, and they can have a unique name. But their base profile is not unique, which is why they can be renamed without any issues. When you use the Irresistible spell on such an NPC for the first time, you might be confused because you thought they were unique, but the MCM put them in the Deleveled Lovers column.
Deleveled Lovers
Deleveled lovers are NPCs created from a generic template but are no longer (or never were) part of the leveled character system. There are three ways to create a deleveled lover. The first is the one mentioned above, by using the Irresistible spell on an NPC who is already generic but not leveled. That method is pretty straight forward, so we'll concentrate on the other two.
When any leveled NPC(i.e. Bandit, Necromancer, Vampire, Forsworn, Soldier, Guard, etc.) is deleveled, youcan tell it's happening because your lover isn't just enveloped in the regular green Illusion effect, but they are also surrounded by a purple Conjuring effect, like the ones used in summoning spells. The reason for this is because the Irresistible spell (and the Delevel Lover spell) actually conjures (or summons) a permanent version of the leveled NPC for you. The transition is traumatic, so your lover might be hostile for a few seconds until they adjust to the new situation.
Auto-Delevel Feature
If you have the Auto-Delevel feature toggled on in the MCM Settings page, any leveled NPC on whom you use the Irresistible spell will automatically be deleveled for you. You shouldn't notice a huge difference between the leveled and deleveled NPC, except that they will certainly be much more agreeable than before the deleveling process.
Manual Deleveling
If you have the Auto-Delevel feature turned off, any leveled NPC on whom you use the Irresistible spell will remain leveled. This means they are prone to any of the issues you might encounter with a leveled lover, such as them changing. or losing the lover dialog without warning, or maybe even disappearing. You also won't be able to rename them. But they will still level up with you, and you can treat them like any other follower.
If you later decide you wish to delevel your lover, you can use the Delevel Lover spell on them that you'll find in the Conjuration spells panel. The spell is only available if you have the Auto-Delevel feature turned off. If you turned the feature on after turning your leveled lover, you can just use the Irresistible spell on them again, which will also delevel your lover for you.
The problem with this method is that some of the changes your lover underwent as your follower while still leveled will be gone and replaced by whatever is in the original, generic template. This includes Health, Magicka, and Stamina. Also, if your lover was a follower, they will no longer be your follower after deleveing, and you'll have to recruit them again (I might rectify these issues in a later version). But it also means you can now rename your lover. I find calling my lover "Louisa" (or "Louis" if you're a straight female or gay) much more agreeable than referring to them as "Bandit Marauder" or "Vampire Fledgling".
Resurrection Feature
If your lover dies, for instance because you accidentally killed them in the heat of the battle, the system will allow you to resurrect them. There are several methods you can useto do that.
Lover Options in MCM: If your lover still has an entry in the MCM, you can do it from there by clicking on the Options field of your dead lover's entry and choosing the Resurrect option. If your lover is too far away, they will first be teleported to your location before they are resurrected. You will have to tab out of all menus before the system actually begins the resurrection process.
Lover Options Power: You will find this power in your Powers panel. Equip the spell, point at your dead lover (make sure your lover is in your crosshairs), and press the Shout key to open the menu. Then choose the Resurrect option. The non-MCM Lover Options menu requires that you choose an option so the arrow is displayed to the left of your choice. Then you have to tab out of the menu for the option to take effect.
Resurrection Spell: You will find the spell in your Restoration spells panel. Just equip the spell, point at your dead lover, and cast the spell. If your aim was off, just try again. If your lover doesn't resurrect, then they're probably not your lover, and you'll have to use the Irresistible spell on them first.
Irresistible Spell: Of course, the simplest way to resurrect any NPC is to just use the Irresistible spell on them. This should resurrect lovers as well as non-lovers.
Breaking Up with Your Lover
Starting with version 3.1, you have the option to break up with your lover. You can do this either from the Lovers page in the MCM (click on your lover's entry and choose the Break Up option), or use the Lover Options lesser power, which will bring up a similar menu with an option to Break Up with your lover.
After you've broken up, your ex-lover won't be very happy with you and will follow the exact same dialog as if you had jilted them at the alter during the wedding ceremony. They'll also offer you the option to reconcile with them. If you choose to reconcile, you can redefine your relationship and choose to continue as a Friend, Confidant, Ally, or Lover. If you choose the first three options, you can always use the Irresistible spell on them to turn them into your lover again. Choosing your ex-lover as an ally will enable the dialog that allows you to make them a follower.
Using the SkyUI Interface
Together with the MCM, you have several menus available to you. The most prominent are the Lover Options menus. These are created with the SkyUI interface system (or SkyUILIB if you're using the Lesser Power) and might handle a bit different from normal menus. With these menus, you have to choose your option by selecting it with a mouse click, with the Use key (usually "E"), or with Enter. Then you have to Tab out of the menu with your selection marked (there's a fancy little arrow to the left of the option you've chosen). As soon as you've tabbed out, your choice will be processed. If you're in the MCM, you might also have to tab completely out of the system menus and re-enter the game before your choice can take effect, for instance if you've chosen Summon, Go To, or Resurrect.
Another small menu is the Gender Options menu on the MCM Settings page. You also have to choose your option, then tab out of the menu for your selection to take effect.
The rename input box works slightly differently depending on whether you're in the MCM or using the Lover Options power. In the MCM, the text in the field you bring up is already selected, so using Backspace, for instance, will delete the entire text. In the Lover Options power rename input box, the text is not marked, which is why I left it blank. Otherwise you would have to go in and delete your lover's current name manually before you can enter a new name.
Messages and warnings can be displayed with a text box in the MCM. In the Lesser Powers menu, there is no such thing, so I had to use the list menu to display any messages. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Some Irresistible messages are displayed at the top left corner of the screen, like when you learn a new spell of raise your skill level. These messages can be turned off on the MCM Settings page if they get too annoying. For instance, the message about overwriting current MCM entries might be too much for some users, others might find them useful.
Saving and Loading Profiles
The Utilities page of the MCM allows you to save the MCM Settings as profiles. If you don't enter a profile name, the MCM will save and load the default profile. You can create as many profiles as you wish. The profiles are saved in your Skyrim installation under this path:
Data\SKSE\Plugins\FISS
If you're using MO2, you'll find the profiles wherever you told MO2 to save any SKSE output. You'll also find most of the other settings files created by mods that also use FISSES to save their settings. The profile name will always have this format:
FG_Irresistible_xxxxxx.xml
Where xxxxxx is the name of the profile you entered in the Utilities page of the MCM. If you didn't enter a name, the MCM will save the profile as
FG_Irresistible_Default.xml
